Tag: teacher training

TEFL career advice

Are you thinking of becoming an English teacher and moving abroad? Have you been teaching for some time and now you’re ready to look for a better position? If you find it difficult to get accurate information on making progress in a TEFL career, I’d like to offer you an opportunity to receive personalised advice.

TEFL career advice

What is this all about?
TEFL isn’t a regulated industry, which leads to a lot of confusion among teachers. What is accepted in one country may not be possible somewhere else, so there isn’t a simple recipe for being successful. There is a lot of misleading information on the internet, including false claims made by course providers offering ‘accredited’ qualifications. It’s fair to say that many people don’t see TEFL as a serious profession and quite a lot of teachers leave the field after a year or two.

However, I believe that it is possible to have a long-term career in ELT. It requires a lot of effort, but you can definitely achieve something meaningful in the profession. If this idea sounds interesting to you, I’d like to offer you a Zoom consultation to talk about your teaching career.

What can I help you with?
If you plan to get started as an English teacher, I can assist you with:

● choosing the right TEFL course for you
● polishing your CV and cover letter
● applying for a teaching job and avoiding scams
● useful resources for new teachers

Those with some experience in teaching may benefit from my guidance on:

● professional development
● ELT literature relevant to your teaching context
● moving to a more senior position
● non-teaching roles

Why should you choose me?
Since moving into TEFL at the age of thirty, I have taught English as a volunteer, employee, and freelancer. In addition to having a Delta, I am a certified teacher trainer and offer lesson observation services. I know what it takes to start completely from scratch, move to the other side of the world and stay in the ELT profession, and I will be happy to share my experience with you.

If you ask for advice on social media, you run the risk of being offered online courses that may not even be relevant for you. I have no need to sell anything and I will provide you with personalised recommendations instead. I stay in touch with experienced ELT professionals from all over the world, so I have a pretty good idea about job markets in other countries too. As a result, I will be able to evaluate your particular situation and offer you practical advice.

How does it all work?
The process is pretty straightforward. You need to send me your CV and state what your goals are so I can prepare a consultation tailored to your needs. I’ll then schedule a one-to-one Zoom meeting with you in order to talk about your options and provide you with career tips. The consultations are confidential and I’m ready to give honest answers to your questions.

How much does it cost?
The fee depends on the amount of research I’ll have to do, but it definitely won’t be exorbitant. I plan to do this in my free time, so what I’m looking for is basically a donation towards the running costs of this blog.

How can you arrange a consultation with me?
You can get in touch through LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or this contact form. Please remember to attach your CV and tell me what you’d like to achieve. I will then get back to you with further instructions.

Would you like to get feedback on your teaching?

Do you teach English to adults online and feel that you would benefit from talking to someone about what happens in your classes? If you are looking for a practical way to develop as a teacher, I’d like to offer you an opportunity to have your lessons observed and receive feedback on your teaching.

Would you like to get feedback on your teaching?

What is this all about?
I recently became a freelancer with the idea of getting involved in new projects. In addition to my work for International House and my own private classes, I’d like to dedicate a couple of hours per week to something else. I love talking to ELT professionals, and that’s why I decided to offer my services to English teachers from around the world.

Why is feedback on teaching important?
I believe that it is crucial to keep developing as a teacher if you wish to make progress in your ELT career. Doing so by yourself isn’t easy, though. It’s quite tricky to self-evaluate your performance while you are teaching a lesson, so asking someone to observe you can be very useful. As your observer, I will give you personalised advice and help you address your weaknesses.

Why should you choose me?
Since getting my CELTA at the beginning of my TEFL career, I have shown a lot of interest in professional development. I finished my Delta last year, and I also hold the Cambridge Train the Trainer certificate. I have received feedback on my teaching from experienced teacher trainers and I think I have picked up a few useful ideas along the way. You are welcome to read my posts on this blog to find out what my views on teaching are.

Who is this for?
There are two main groups of teachers this offer is aimed at:

● newly-qualified teachers with little experience
● those with a couple of years’ experience who would like to take their teaching to a higher level

CELTA and CertTESOL holders are more than welcome to participate.

Who is not a suitable candidate?
Teachers with a Delta, DipTESOL, and other advanced qualifications. It would be more beneficial for you to be observed by a more experienced teacher trainer.

Does your location matter?
Not really. I’ll be happy to work with teachers from any part of the world. Just bear in mind that I live in the Bogotá time zone (UTC−05:00), so we’ll need to plan the online meeting for a time that suits both of us.

How does it work?
The whole process comprises four stages:

  1. Short Zoom meeting to get to know each other and talk about your expectations.
  2. Pre-lesson Zoom meeting to discuss your lesson plan.
  3. Lesson observation, which can be done live (I join your online meeting) or you can record the meeting and send me the video.
  4. Post-lesson Zoom meeting to talk about the lesson. You are also going to receive written feedback.

What about in-person lessons?
I’d prefer to observe online lessons at the moment. However, if you have the means to make a high-quality recording of your in-class lessons, then we can talk about that as well.

What else has to be done?
It is necessary that all your students give you permission to record the meeting or allow me to join the live session. You can always rely on my professionalism and confidentiality; you won’t see me post any screenshots from Zoom meetings on social media.

What if you teach children?
I’d like to keep it simple and observe only classes involving adults. Your students may be fine with being observed and recorded, but their parents may see things differently, so you would need to get their permission as well.

How much does it cost?
I don’t plan to get rich out of this. In fact, I’ll probably have time for just one or two observations per week. The fee is different for each teacher and depends on your location and the length of the observed lesson, and I hope that you will find my proposal reasonable. The funds received from these observations will help me cover the running costs of this website (domain + WordPress site plan).

How can you arrange an observation with me?
You can get in touch through LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or this contact form. Please tell me about your motivation for being observed and attach your CV or another document showing your qualifications and experience. I will then get back to you with further information.